Mediator
by A September Rose
Summary: [Hakkai POV, 53, hints of 8Y] When two of your traveling companions start a relationship, eventually there will be conflict. Poor Hakkai is forced to play therapist during a lover's spat.


Disc: Minekura, not me.

Info: This will be my first time in Hakkai POV, so I hope that I can do him justice. He is one of the hardest people to keep in character in my opinion, so you can only imagine how much beta-ing this went through. With this story, I now have at least one first person story from everyone in the Ikkou. Special Thanks to Shin-no-nekochan as always for helping me with my "Hakkai Voice."

It would also be quite helpful to read my previous works; there are a few inside jokes between the characters by this point.

Mediator

This was just fantastic, I thought to myself rather sarcastically. Of course, upon reaching the latest hotel, I'd once again taken it upon myself to get all of our supplies for the following few days. The further West the four of us got, the farther away the villages became. We were camping out close to four nights a week. The only fortunate thing about the situation was that Sanzo had made up his mind to let us get a later start in every village we came across, just so we'd be more refreshed and only have to spend the more favorable parts of the day on the road.

That particular aspect was not what I was feeling sarcastic about, however. It was more along the lines of having to do all the work **again** by myself without any help **compounded** by the fact that as soon as I'd stepped out of the grocery store, the skies had opened up and a massive downpour began.

Rain by itself is bad enough when one is indoors, but becomes even worse when one has to lug four heavy grocery bags by oneself down three long blocks back to the hotel.

It most certainly didn't help when I returned to the hotel and the teenage girl behind the desk remarked on how I looked like some sort of drowned rodent. I didn't feel any obligation to be friendly due to that and gave her a dismissive look before heading upstairs.

After all, I didn't see any of my so-called companions on the main level, so there was no reason to expect anything from them this time. Most of the time I can at least guilt Gojyo into assisting me, or Goku would be hungry enough to want closer proximity to the food, but I had no such luck today. The youngest member of our party – or oldest, depending on how you chose to look at it – had developed a rather nasty cold a few days ago and had been bedridden ever since. As for Gojyo…

I sighed, setting down the drenched paper bags on the table in the room Goku and I were sharing. Gojyo was a completely different story nowadays. His personality hadn't changed so much as his – ahem – enthusiasm was being channeled in an entirely different direction. For about the past six weeks, since I'd convinced him to follow his heart and confess his feelings for another certain member of our group, he'd devoted himself whole-heartedly to spending as much time with Sanzo as our leader would allow.

I reflected on this as I began salvaging what I could from the bags. Gojyo had told me, in his usual coarse manner, that he and Sanzo were now sexually involved as well as romantically. As a result, he eventually insinuated that it was in **some** way my responsibility to 'make up excuses' where Goku was concerned so that the new couple could room together. It was hard to refrain from letting Gojyo know that the boy had been suspecting them for sometime and that the two of us had formed a rapport over it – better to let Gojyo think he's getting away with something.

The only thing that had worried me about this state of affairs was the effect it would have on our team as a whole, but so far the atmosphere seemed to be stable, relatively speaking, of course. Sanzo wasn't foolish enough to let on to outsiders that he had taken on a lover and Gojyo managed to keep his affectionate, overprotective tendencies to a minimum.

I had also worried about the possibility of a breakup. The worry only intensified after the few times I'd heard the two of them argue, leading me to believe that 'the end' of the relationship would probably involve something along the lines of homicide.

I sighed for what felt like the millionth time today, thankful that I was the only conscious person in the room – Goku was sleeping quite soundly due to the medication such that he wasn't even snoring. My face settled into a neutral expression as I kneeled and calculated what would fit into the mini-fridge the hotel had provided for our room.

I heard fluttering noises from the bed and then was aware of a heavy weight on my upper back. Hakuryu poked his nose under my arm as I dug around in the fridge, rearranging things. He sniffed at several of the containers and I felt his tail whack against my back as he wagged it. He was very interested in the fruit and meat I'd put away and stretched out his neck as far as possible, chirping to indicate his preference.

I allowed myself a tiny smile and leaned back, pulling his neck away. "Of course I bought something for you, little one." If there was one companion who I never found contrary, it was him. I pulled out a small container of grapes I'd found at the store and fed him a couple. He chewed away, giving a "kyuu" to let me know he was satisfied.

Standing back up in a slight rush, I moved to the window and checked on the weather outside. The rain was still coming down in buckets, washing over what had remained of my good mood, turning it melancholy. Each passing minute brought back voices I didn't want to hear, visions I would prefer never to relive. To stop those things, I forced my mind to recent events.

Three days ago, right before Goku became ill, things had been relatively normal. We'd had yet another encounter with Kougaiji-san and his group, which had ended in yet another predictable draw. The only entertaining thing had been witnessing Gojyo's palpable jealousy as Lirin-chan once again glued herself to Sanzo's shoulders, playfully nuzzling her "opponent." Distracted, he'd ended up completely overshooting his target in his match-up against Dokugakuji-san and suffered a rather embarrassing defeat by his older brother. Fortunately, Kougaiji was too wrapped up in his sparring with Goku to realize and withdrew, claiming to return for Sanzo's sutra yet another day.

I had admitted to Yaone-san then that I found it amusing the two of us didn't even have to fight anymore, since we weren't really noticed. We'd started using the time to strike up conversation instead. Over time, I had become more comfortable in the company of another who ended up in the role of caretaker for their group quite by accident.

The rain beat harder as the thought crossed my mind, making me frown. The most important thing for me right now was the mission. I could worry about relationships after we reached India and stopped the experiments. Another part of my mind was voicing its protest rather loudly at that statement. The word "relationship" in itself was the ridiculous part. I was clearly making something out of nothing. A few nice conversations didn't mean anything…

'_Besides, these things you've been contemplating fall nothing short of betrayal_,' a part of me that was supposed to be dead interjected, making each raindrop feel like an accusation.

Hakuryu, who was still settled on my shoulder, poked my cheek with his nose, beady red eyes looking sideways at me in confusion. He knew that rain made me sad in some way, but I assumed that anything more was beyond his comprehension. I stroked his neck fur absentmindedly, at that moment acknowledging the depression that was inevitably setting in.

Behind me, in his bed, Goku moaned and shifted to his side after sneezing rather violently. It momentarily broke me out of my thoughts and it crossed my mind to administer a bit more chi to heal him the next time he woke up, but I decided for now to let the medicine do its job.

I was just getting used to the calm in the room and trying to avoid the woman's voice that was calling in my head when I was nearly deafened by nearby gunfire. I jerked on impulse, looking around for the threat of a youkai attack. Taking a second to analyze the situation, I noticed that neither the window nor the walls had been damaged and that the shots were coming from downstairs, where the lobby of the hotel was located. A startled cry echoed down the hallway and suddenly someone was banging on my door.

"HAKKAI! Lemme in! He's gonna KILL ME!"

"Running will only make the pain that much worse!" another voice called. "Come back and face me like a man!"

"HAKKAI!!" More pounding as I sighed and walked over to the door. "HURRY!"

I opened the door only to nearly get run over as Gojyo shoved himself through the doorway. I was forced to take a few steps back, letting go of the doorknob. Trying to recover, I saw him duck behind the table. Footsteps drew closer and I looked back to see Sanzo in the entryway, arm drawn back and resting the barrel of the gun against his shoulder. Upon noticing me, he addressed me in complete deadpan.

"Hiding criminals makes you an accomplice."

I held up my hands, a soothing smile spreading across my face. "I believe there once was a time where my position was switched with his."

Sanzo lowered the weapon, scanning the room until he located a pair of red 'antennae' quaking behind the table by the window. Goku had awakened due to the noise, sniffling and swaying in his sitting position in bed.

"Whaz goin' on?" he managed, pupils still a bit hazy. He focused on the gun and moaned. "Wha'ever it was, Sanzo, I didn' do ihh…" He then fell back to the pillow, once again dead to the world.

Sanzo moved around me to the table, bending down to Gojyo's level. Gojyo let out a yelp, but he was now trapped between the table and the wall with nowhere to go.

"Any last requests?" Sanzo mumbled, lazily checking the chamber to ensure that his gun was **fully** loaded.

Oh dear, that usually meant it was time for me to step in as peacekeeper. I held up an index finger before speaking. "I actually have one," I started, causing both of them to look up at me. "Would one of you mind explaining what's going on? I'd prefer to see you two discuss your problems like a normal couple rather than shooting first and asking questions later."

Sanzo shrugged, standing up. "The shooting option has always worked before… As for what happened, ask the Captain of the Idiot Brigade himself."

"Oi…"

I sighed inwardly. "Gojyo, what happened?" I asked, deciding it was easier to start with the person who was usually willing to talk.

"**Nothin'** happened!"

"Lying son of a bitch…" Sanzo hissed.

Gojyo stood up as well and snarled back, "Ain't nothin' to lie about! I. Didn't. Do. Anything!"

"Honestly, you two…" I stood in between them, holding a hand up to each of their chests. "Sanzo, what are you accusing him of?"

Purple eyes narrowed, glaring a hole in my head. "Bastard was going to cheat on me. I **told** him if it even crossed his mind, he'd wish he were dead."

Looking over, crimson eyes were full of just as much fire. "I was just **tryin'** to comfort you since it was raining…"

"I don't need your comfort, asshole!"

"Oh? You weren't saying that **last** night! I 'comforted' you for **hours** then, sweetheart!"

"You think you're so great, don't you? And don't bring up anything sexual in front of Hakkai!"

"Fuck **you**, Mr. High-and-Mighty. Hakkai's not **five** – I can talk about whatever I damn well please!"

"This 'discussion' has gone on long enough," Sanzo decided, once again reaching for the gun.

They had all but literally shoved me aside in their argument only to go at each other's throats again. This was nothing unusual, but with the added condition of them being bedmates, I found myself desiring to prevent not only physical damage, but emotional hurt as well.

I rubbed the bridge of my nose briefly. "**Stop** it," I said, my voice going dangerously informal. (1) Both of them immediately went silent. "You're acting like a bunch of children and I can't get a straight answer out of either of you."

Gojyo's eyes went to the floor. " 'M sorry."

Sanzo looked away. "Ch."

Letting out a puff of air, I pulled one of the chairs up to the table and sat. "Both of you. Sit." They obeyed without complaint. I could at least take solace in the fact that I was one of the only people who could ever intimidate Sanzo; I often used that to my advantage. As I pondered what to possibly say next, it occurred to me to ask Yaone-san when I saw her next if she ever had to break up fights like this in her group. The image of the prince and his guardian cowering before her amused me a great deal.

After a moment, I looked up at both of them. Gojyo was drawing patterns on the table with his finger and Sanzo had taken to staring out at the rain. Neither was acknowledging the other and the tension seemed a little heavier than it had before.

"Now," I started, leaning forward and folding my hands together. "Gojyo, Sanzo accused you of cheating on him. Why would he say such a thing?"

"'Cuz he's a paranoid—"

I cut him off. "**Why** do you think he'd get that impression? What might you have done to make him think so?"

Gojyo stopped, looking up at me and ceasing his fidgeting. "Okay, fine, I'll bite…."

-+-

_The rain began pouring down unexpectedly, the pounding noise against the roof causing **poor** Gojyo to wake up from his afternoon nap. He noticed a conspicuous lack of Sanzo in bed with him and lifted his head up to see his lover standing against the window._

"_Hey," he whispered in a voice that rumbled like **waves** on the ocean, pushing off the bed and walking up behind Sanzo. "You can miss one little shower. Come back to bed." He wrapped his arms around the priest._

"_Fuck off," Sanzo whispered back, voice hoarse. He crushed out his cigarette and immediately lit a new one._

_Gojyo sunk back, disappointment filling his **sunset** eyes. He wasn't surprised; Sanzo's behavior during rainstorms was nothing new. An ingenious idea formulated in his head as he dressed himself._

"_You hungry, love? I'm gonna go down an' get us some dinner. How's that sound?"_

"_Not hungry," Sanzo replied, eyes following a raindrop that was streaking the pane. His entire frame shuddered with a sudden chill._

_Gojyo attempted one of his **sexy** pouts, but found they didn't work when the person you wanted to manipulate wasn't looking at you. "Well, I'll at least get you some green tea. You like that, right? Maybe I'll check at the desk and see if they have a paper for you."_

"_Hn."_

_With that, Gojyo headed downstairs, accomplishing all his missions in a speedy fashion – except for the newspaper. He was still waiting on the food when he walked over to the front desk, handing over some money to the girl for a paper and a pack of Marlboros. Sanzo turned into quite the chain-smoker during storms; he'd need it, Gojyo reasoned in his normal **thoughtful** manner._

_The girl winked at him not so subtly when she gave him the items he'd requested. "Bad weather today, isn't it? I'd rather spend days like this curled up in bed."_

_That sounded familiar. After all, it had been one of his favorite pick-up lines, **back in the day**. "Yeah," Gojyo found himself agreeing. My, but she was leaning awfully close. Not that he blamed her; after all, how many women before her had fallen for the **great** Sha Gojyo? "That's what I **was** doing up 'til a little while ago."_

_She giggled. He could tell it was one of those fake ones girls gave when they were heavily flirting. "Maybe you'd like some company. I get off work in half an hour."_

_He smiled back with **perfect** teeth. He would just be **friendly** until the food came out – no harm, no foul. He knew how to **behave** himself, after all. "Thanks for the offer, cutie, but I already found myself a beauty to keep my bed warm."_

_She gave a laugh of mock-disappointment. "Figures. The hot ones are always taken."_

"_I'm flattered, really." He held up a hand to ward her off. He was quite the **valiant** fighter against the hot women of the world who wanted to take him away. "Too bad, I'm not single."_

_She placed a hand on his other arm, which had been resting on the desk. A voice in the back hollered that his order was up. "Hey, I won't tell if you won't."_

"_Now, now…" he started. This had gone on long enough and he was **just about** to tell her so when…_

_CLICK._

_Gojyo's **lustrous** red hair stood on end. That noise was all too familiar. It was the safety being pulled back on a small handgun. "S-Sanzo? I thought you were…"_

"_You thought wrong."_

_Our **handsome** hero knew it would take a lot to get out of **this** one alive…_

-+-

I raised an eyebrow. "Gojyo… please stop right there."

"What?" Gojyo sat up straight in his seat. "These were the events as I saw them!"

"Through a very **biased** filter," Sanzo cut in, finger still itching against the trigger. "Hakkai, he's lying again."

"Am not, damn _hagebouzu_!"

Sanzo stood up, pointing the gun straight at Gojyo's forehead. "Let's see you cheat with a hole in your goddamn SKULL!"

"That's enough!" I demanded. Again, both of them shut up.

To my surprise, out of the corner of my eye, I saw Goku watching intently from bed. Hakuryu was curled up next to him, also looking at the three of us. I looked back to the fighting couple, but their backs were both to the bed and neither had noticed Goku wake up. I caught his eye subtly and he covered his mouth, mostly likely trying to cover up laughter.

I took a deep breath to compose myself and once again folded my hands. "Well, now that we've heard Gojyo's… um, creative storytelling–"

"It's the TRUTH!"

"…Sanzo, would you let me hear your side?"

"Of course." The priest sat back, clearing his throat.

-+-

_The sudden rainstorm took me by surprise, jolting me from a sound sleep. I was over by the window before I realized what I was doing, staring at the raindrops and occasional flash of lightning. **Just** what I needed, right? As hard as I tried, my mind kept flashing to memories I'd rather have ignored._

_There was a bit of noise behind me – it figured, Gojyo was always stomping around everywhere – and then arms wrapped around me. "Hey," the kappa said, lowering his voice in an **attempt** to be seductive. "You can miss one little shower. Come back to bed."_

_I sighed. The idiot never got it; it wasn't like I could just 'go to bed' during such a storm. "Fuck off," I managed to whisper, crushing out my cigarette and immediately lighting a new one._

_The arms disappeared. Gojyo had moved back across the room and was dressing himself, asking me if I wanted any dinner. I replied back that I wasn't hungry, but my refusal had never stopped him before._

_Gojyo left, promising green tea, cigarettes, and newspapers. I sat down on the bed to wait, hoping the damn storm would pass soon._

_I noticed that I'd gone through two more cigarettes waiting. 'Where the hell **is** that moron?' I remember asking myself. I got partially dressed, letting the robes hang around my waist, and went downstairs to investigate._

_There was some half-naked **harpy** behind the desk, flirting with Gojyo like there was no tomorrow, her **cleavage** sticking out, **stomach** bared, and **worst** of all, Gojyo was flirting **back**!_

_-+-_

"I WAS NOT!"

"Gojyo," I sighed. "Please don't interrupt. We listened to your story."

"But if it's wrong—"

CLICK.

Gojyo sighed. "Please continue, O Exalted One."

-+-

"_Figures. The hot ones are always taken." the **slut** behind the desk continued. I held back a growl and considered myself fortunate that I'd decided to take the shoureiju downstairs with me._

"_I'm flattered, really." Gojyo was grinning and rubbing her arm with his fingers. He was leaning in **real** close. "Too bad I'm not single." This was said **mockingly**, as if he could be single any time he **chose** to._

"_I won't tell if you won't," the **whore** said suggestively and then they were close enough to be **kissing**. Gojyo **leaned** in—_

_I had had enough. I flicked off the safety and took aim at Gojyo's head. The coward only stuttered out his surprise before fleeing upstairs for the sanctity of **your** room, Hakkai, not like that was going to save him._

-+-

Sanzo lit a cigarette. "There you have it."

Gojyo was standing up now and I was barely holding him back. "You call **me** a liar! That's the most untrue story in… in the history of ever!"

Sanzo looked unimpressed. "Ooh, good one. I don't know what to say to that."

"This is ridiculous," I muttered under my breath. Maybe it would be best if I just let them have at each other; a good physical fight might just wear them out enough to get this out of their system.

There may as well have been a tiny red lightning bolt shooting back and forth between their eyes and I knew they were just seconds away from another outburst, this time with the possibility of weapons on **both** sides. How was I supposed to dissolve this?

Suddenly, it came to me. "Perhaps this is my fault," I attempted with another sigh. Both of them looked over at me. "After all, I was the one who suggested Gojyo go ahead and confess his feelings for Sanzo." I gazed upon them sadly. "I only wanted those dear to me to be happy, but I guess in the end, it's doomed to failure. I shouldn't have interfered."

"Oi, Hakkai," Gojyo leaned forward, concerned. "Buddy, it's not your fault. I mean, I was the one who started feeling—"

"No, no," I said, waving my hand at him. "I overstepped my bounds. If it's not meant to be, then it's not meant to be. It's apparent that there's no trust and that means that the relationship won't last."

Sanzo faltered. "I… trust him. What I meant was—"

Gojyo blinked. "You do? Then why the heck didja freak out? The girl was hitting on me, I was trying to be nice 'til I got your stuff, an' I was gonna go **right** back upstairs an' stay with you 'til the storm passed."

"Oh?" Sanzo raised one eyebrow just a bit in disbelief. "And there was no merit to me assuming you were being as perverted as always?"

"Come on already! I think I've been **very good** about this so far!" Even though Gojyo's tone was that of frustration, his expression seemed a bit more relaxed. I could tell that he wasn't nearly as angry as before. "I thought we went over this before? I chose you and I stand by that. I'm not gonna go around hitting on random girls! Have a **little** faith in me, wouldja?"

"Now that I think about it… I suppose it's **possible** that you were actually turning her down," Sanzo said after a small pause.

Gojyo moved around the table and settled his hands on Sanzo's hips. "So you admit that I was right?"

Sanzo looked up into his eyes and I saw his normal irritation returning. "Why would I do anything that strokes **your** big ego?"

They were pressed up against each other and with that comment, Sanzo grabbed Gojyo's chin and pulled him down so their noses were touching. Their lips drew closer together and…

"I'm so proud of you two!" I clapped my hands together, startling the two of them.

Sanzo flushed a furious shade of red and Gojyo sweatdropped, both returning to reality.

"It's now been proven that these kinds of conflicts can best be solved with words instead of weapons."

Sanzo's mouth opened and closed a few times, attempting to snap back, but in the end, Gojyo just draped an arm around the priest.

"I think what he means to say is, 'Thank you, Hakkai.'"

I closed my eyes, smiling. "Oh, no problem at all. You two ended up working it out yourselves. As I said before, I just want everyone to be happy."

Gojyo laughed. "So how much do we owe you for the therapy session?"

"Consider this first one free," I replied, feeling the tension in the room slowly evaporating. "On the basis that I expect you two to become frequent customers."

Gojyo left it at that, still amused. Next to us, Sanzo continued to do a poor job of hiding his embarrassment and was staring at the carpet.

With that conflict resolved, I noticed that I could no longer hear the storm outside. Behind the two, I could see that the rain had stopped and sunlight was softly pouring in through the window.

Goku yawned and sneezed from the bed almost simultaneously. "Owww…" he muttered, sitting up and rubbing his chest. Hakuryu kyuu-ed in concern and stretched up his neck to sniff Goku's arm. "Think I pulled a muscle with that one."

Sanzo's head snapped up at the noise and he looked at Goku, eyes then darting back to me as if to ask, '_Did he hear? Does he know_?'

My smile broadened, making Sanzo's eyes widen.

Gojyo, meanwhile, had moved over to the bed and was ruffling Goku's hair. "Feel better yet, _saru_? You were looking pretty pale the other day."

Goku, eternal child that he had the tendency to be, shied away from the affectionate touch. "Prob'ly not as pale as you looked when Sanzo had that gun t' yer head, stupid kappa lech!"

Gojyo's left eye twitched. "You were awake for that?" His accusatory tone was daring Goku to go on.

Goku shrugged, an 'innocent' look on his face. "I was in an' out. I jus' heard Sanzo yellin' about **somethin'**, an' I figured **you** hadta've screwed up somehow."

"Okay, THAT'S it! I think you've rested enough!" Gojyo pounced on Goku and the two were tussling before too long, Hakuryu squeaking in protest at his peaceful environment being disturbed.

Sanzo's stress mark continued to grow. I stood next to him, trying to be reassuring. "You don't want to shoot him. You love him."

"Unfortunately."

-+-

The next day, Goku was back to full strength and we gathered our things, got into Jeep, and set off for the next town. The ride itself was pretty uneventful; I drove for several hours, the miscreants in the backseat slept almost the entire time, and Sanzo had taken to staring off to the side at the passing scenery.

After making sure one last time that both Gojyo and Goku were unconscious, I decided to make conversation. "Sanzo…"

"Don't wanna hear it."

I accelerated, but gradually. "I'm just curious as to how things are faring now."

Sanzo lit a cigarette before answering. "He asleep?" When I nodded, he continued. "I can't ever win those sorts of fights. After all, he's…" I noticed Sanzo pause to sigh before continuing, "A good man."

I smiled, glancing at the rearview mirror. Gojyo was letting Goku use his shoulder as a pillow. "That he is. To tell the truth, I'm glad."

Sanzo 'hn'ed. "Glad he **seduced** me somehow?"

"No," I said simply. "You've both been through a lot in life. I think this is the first time I've seen both of you truly happy."

"Whatever 'happy' means for someone like me." Now he looked down at the floor of Jeep. "**He's** always been that way. Not like I did anything to change that."

"Ah, then you don't know him very well, do you? I've never seen him this upbeat… this… in love," I finished, turning to him.

I could see what was now becoming a very common blush line on our leader's face. "Can we not talk about this?"

I turned back to face the road ahead. Jeep ran over some bumps, gently rocking the two in the back. "Fine, maybe it's a topic for another day."

"Or never," Sanzo mumbled under his breath.

I decided right then that I could wait. I was perfectly satisfied with life the way it was now: our group was growing closer than ever and two of my companions had found happiness with each other, despite one half of the pair refusing to admit it in public. I'd willingly play therapist any time they needed it, just so the unique bond the four of us had developed over the years would remain this tight.

Gojyo blinked sleepily from the back – apparently that bump had woken them, after all. "We're still not there? Man…" There was a slight pause and then he let out a cry. "Ugh, disgusting! The monkey drooled all over my sleeve!"

Goku squeezed his eyes shut as he sat up, recoiling, "**Ew**! I was sleepin' on **Gojyo**!" In predictable fashion, the two traded insults for a while, making me contemplate retracting my previous statement.

Sanzo, also in his predicable manner, didn't let that go on for too long and looked back at them with a glare made of pure ice. Gojyo was instantly silent and Goku stopped after realizing his sparring partner had quit on him.

"Um, what's goin' on?" Goku asked, noticing, as I now did, Sanzo's glare turning into one of those looks the other two had taken to passing back and forth.

_Hey babe, I'm sorry, all right? …I love you._

… _Hn. Just don't do it again, idiot._

"Ah, nothing, Goku," I assured him. "It's just K.C." That made him immediately start snickering, while Sanzo raised an eyebrow at me and Gojyo's eyes darted back and forth, trying to figure out where the joke was.

"Hakkai," Sanzo said in a low voice.

"What is it?"

"Focus on your driving. It's bad enough without you making lame attempts at jokes."

"_Hai, hai_."

-Owari-

(1) Hakkai, or rather, Ishida Akira, is the master of polite style Japanese. It's only when he changes to casual style that you know someone's probably about to die. The other two know that this is the time to take him seriously. In the Japanese, he would probably be saying "_Yamete_" instead of the more proper "_Yamete kudasai_" (Please stop).

Other note: Ok, so here's how it stands at the end of this one: they know Hakkai knows, Hakkai knows they know he knows, Goku knows, Sanzo thinks he knows Hakkai knows Goku knows, Gojyo doesn't know Goku knows, Goku knows Gojyo doesn't know he knows, and Goku thinks he knows Sanzo doesn't know he knows.

Got it? Good. Now, explain it to me.


End file.
